The Story of Bill and Marie Brown

The couple you are now looking at is my grandparents William James Brown and Emma Marie Kirkwood aka Bill and Marie.

One day I began swinging my big stick at this Grandparent Piñata and all kinds of sweet little story nuggets fell out.

In order to do so I had to go on a quest of discovery. It was a journey across the country where I met my relatives. I visited them like a beggar, asking for any scraps of information or any little bit of true tales that they might share. I felt like a total sycophant. Completely on the take and only asking for the dirty details.

Better known as Bill and Marie. Better known nowadays as the patriarchal couple of a sizeable clan. The Offspring, you might say.

Bob, Lorraine and Ronnie are the first generation. Their kids. My oh my, there are some rich stories to tell when you get right down to it. You have no idea.

And then there’s the next generation.

Bob’s kids are Karen, Keith, Bobby, Billy, Kim and Kurt. Lorraine’s kids are Mary Ann, Sandy, Bob, and Neal. Ronnie’s kids are Doug, Gerry, Arlene, Glen and David. OMG, the shitload of stories that this group can tell would give your gonads a rush of blood and set your heart a pitter-patter. You’ll see.

In the generation next? Well, things get pretty fucking exciting. Talk about an explosion! Talk about diversity. Talk about creativity. Talk about anything. It’s downright miraculous.

These are the stories you’re going to read. They are sweet, precious, and amazing.

How would one organize a collection of stories that centre around one single couple?

First you would tell the couple’s story. Their story speaks to all the others. Their adventures would help make them who they were. Their choices, their mistakes, their friends, their enemies all have an impact on them and also their children. And their grandchildren. This collection of stories gets its weight from this truth. The stories themselves are the sweet details of a singular unfolding, where two people live their lives, and unbeknownst to them, they write a screenplay of sorts for a thousand other people.

Next you would tell the stories of their children. There are a lot of things that come into play when you start reflecting and analyzing siblings. Birth order. Gender. Gaps in age. Historical context. Job prospects.

The next generation? We can’t escape the truth that we are privileged. We all know that our parents, having lived through hard times, were determined to put themselves on the map by having children. They were pretty good at it. Success in those days seemed to be centred around making sure that you left a bunch of people in your wake who would make this world a better place. It wasn’t a stretch to believe that all of us are survivors and that we should be thankful to be alive.

Which brings us to the NEXT generation. Our kids. The soft clay. The precious ones. The Hopes and Dreams. It’s hard for us to imagine that they too have stories to tell which need to be part of this collection.